Many types of vacuuming systems have been developed including those having many different shapes of inlet devices connected with flexible conduits or hoses that are in turn connected with a vacuum generator. Vacuum systems have long been utilized for the purposes of cleaning and removing liquids and/or particulate matter from objects or collection areas. Vacuuming tools associated with vacuum cleaning systems are generally designed based on a desired inlet shape that facilitates cleaning or removal of unwanted matter (liquid or solid) from a particular type of surface. Moreover, such vacuum systems may be otherwise designed (i.e. for flow or power requirements) based upon the application. Typical applications include those for residential or industrial cleaning purposes such as, for example, cleaning walls, carpeting, floors, and furniture, etc. In scientific or industrial operations where debris, excess fluid, or fumes are given off, controlled use of vacuuming technology has been available for removal of the waste at or near the source. Vacuuming tools in the form of nozzles, wands and brushes have been used for the above purposes, and are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, flexibilities and configurations.
A chore in the vacuuming of any surface is that the entire surface typically must be vacuumed. That is, the opening of the vacuuming system inlet device needs to be passed over substantially all of the surface of the object. This becomes more cumbersome for larger surfaces. For example, where a conventional wand is used over a large surface such as a floor or a wall, the job can be quite time consuming. To overcome this, various attachments have been made, such as diverging nozzles, for enlarging the opening of the inlet device so that for a given movement, a larger area is covered. The problem with this approach is that the larger openings also detrimentally affect the suction power of the vacuum system. As the opening size is increased, the suction power is lessened over the area of the opening, or a greater vacuum must be generated. The latter requires bigger motors, for example, and power usage. A similar problem as associated with fluid applicators.
The vacuum removal of liquids is typically accomplished by positioning an inlet device of a vacuuming system within a fluid collection area or by passing the inlet opening over the surface of an area in the manner as above. The latter suffers the same problem discussed above. In the case of the former, the system is effective when the opening of the inlet device is submerged within the collection area. When even a part of the opening is out of the liquid pool, the liquid removal process is substantially ineffective because the suction primarily removes air instead of the collected liquid. Moreover, in addition to the noise of the vacuum generator itself, the suction noise is increased by two-phase fluid flow into and through the system. That is, a mixture of liquid and gas is drawn within the inlet device and through the vacuuming system, and this flow is typically very turbulent and noisy.
The flow of fluid, whether gas or liquid or both, through conduits and nozzles of a fluid transport system having a fluid transport source, can be characterized as active fluid transport. That is, the fluid transport is considered "active" because the fluid transport pertains to a non-spontaneous fluid flow regime that, for the most part, is the result of a force produced by a source external to the transporting device. In the case of a vacuum system, a vacuum generator acts as a source that draws the fluid through the conduits and nozzle of the system. As conventionally used, a vacuum generator can be utilized to simply remove a gas or liquid, or may utilize the fluid flow of gas or liquid for removing solid matter. In the case of an applicator system, a pressure source may be utilized.
Some vacuum systems, particularly for liquid removal, include collection devices that are positionable with respect to other apparatuses for receiving and removing waste matter. Typically, a collector device is designed to accommodate the type of waste matter that is to be collected and its ability to be mounted to the relevant structure. Such collection devices may have an enlarged opening for collecting waste matter from a larger area than the vacuum conduit.
An example of a suction mat designed for use within the surgical field is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,352 to Van Beek et al. A collection device is connected with a vacuum tube so that liquid collected by the device can be removed via the suction tube. The collection device itself includes a rib design for providing controlled drainage of fluid along the collection device and into the suction tube. The ribs additionally provide a supporting function for vessels during a surgical procedure.
Another fluid collection and removal device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,651 to Todd et al. This device also includes a channeled collection plate, but further comprises an absorbent pad provided over the channeled collection plate. The absorbent pad acts as a fluid collection reservoir.
Other fluid collection devices combined with a vacuum system are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,300 to Flower and U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,735 to Skow. In Flower, an absorbent material is provided over a perforated vacuum body that is further connected with a removal tube. The device of Skow includes a mat comprising a material having a high wicking property and a flexible suction tube that prevents the mat from becoming saturated with fluid. In both cases, the pad or mat acts as the collection device and the vacuum system merely removes the collected fluids.